How much does a Product Owner earn in Ukraine and the U.S.? How to increase PO earnings? How to get a PO certification?
Product Owner Salary in Ukraine
According to the latest research by DOU.UA, a Ukrainian IT community, the Product Owner salary in Ukraine is $3k, as of 2021, taking into account all regions and work experience. However, in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, it is a bit higher, $3500.
The minimal PO salary with 1 to 3 years of experience is $2500.
Top PO salaries in Ukraine exceed $3400 (all cities, $3500 in Kyiv, respectively.) Professionals with more than 7 years of experience are in this group.
On the other hand, INDIGO Tech Recruiters suggests that $1960 is the minimal and $3283 — maximal salaries for Product Owners in Ukraine.
Given the data from various sources, we clearly see the two main trends regarding the Product Owner salary in Ukraine:
1. Product Owner’s top salary level is $3500 and more. Only those who have extensive experience and highest qualification get the top salary.
2. Minimal PO salary in Ukraine is nearly $1,9k, pointing out the following:
- Most Product Owners with the lowest salary have little experience in this role.
- Majority of POs do not have any international certification.
In addition, it is worth noting that the Product Owner’s average salary is 10% higher than that of a Product Manager. This fact should become an additional motivation to make a career transition towards Product Owner.
Considering these facts, several important questions arise.
Three big questions
- How to leave the “gray zone” of the majority and enter the privileged 7% group?
- What steps will help to increase PO salary significantly (for example, earn three times more)?
- What should beginners do to advance in their PO careers faster?
Product Owner Salary in the U.S.
INDEED.COM informs that the Product Owner “basic” salary in the United States is $103,342, plus $8k bonus.
The highest salary rates of a Product Owner in the U.S. are $160-165 k a year. Among the most generous companies are Genentech Inc., PwC, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (Fortune 500), and others.
Important Conclusions
- Due to the rapid growth of digital technologies around the world, and its new expansion provoked by the pandemic, the demand for IT-related jobs is growing and will continue to grow in the nearest future. The demand for Product Owners will grow, accordingly.
- The 70% majority of Product Owners in Ukraine, who are in the “gray zone” (have small salaries) can raise their income significantly, should they a) gain more professional experience; b) get a good qualification and industry recognized certification.
- Product Owners are most valued in the United States. A certified PO professional can earn from $100k, up to $165k a year in the U.S.
Besides, we want to underline the two most popular and simple reasons why Ukrainians contact us to get Professional Product Owner certification:
- Opportunity to go abroad, be valued, and earn good money.
- Earn more locally due to their increased value as POs by getting the certification.
(Read more on this in our post “Who needs Product Owner certification and how to prepare for it?”)
Therefore, to accelerate career growth and increase income significantly, it is necessary to:
- Have extensive Product Owner experience;
- Get industry-recognized certification.
What kind of certification do I need and where can I get it?
In order to get an international product owner certification, you have to:
- Prepare well for the Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) assessment individually or at a training center recognized by scrum.org (such as Agile.Live);
- Pass the PSPO assessment at scrum.org (you will get all the help you need at Agile.Live).
Please notice that the requirements of Scrum.org are quite high, therefore many people do not pass the certification on the first try. In view of this, many take a special training course at a training center such as Agile.Live.
You can ask Vyacheslav Moskalenko directly about the nearest Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) training. He is a highly respected Scrum Coach certified by Scrum.org and a co-founder of Agile.Live.
Learn more about the PSPO training.
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